modus operandi
by Tsukiko-mei
Summary: It was supposed to be the cure, not the recipe for disaster. SasuHina, multiple pairings; modern AU. Drabble-ish.
1. prologue

**A/N:** Holy cheese. My very first SasuHina story. Yeah, it's one of my favourite crack pairings. . . Ahem, I hope this turns out well.  
Enjoy!

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_prologue_

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"Open wide, please. Thank you, Okimi-san." Hijiri made a face as the medicine slid down his throat. The nurse noticed his grimace and smiled apologetically. "It tastes awful, I know, but it will help you feel better! Ah, this is going to hurt." She held up a tiny syringe and an alcohol-soaked swab.

"Can't be worse than this stupid disease. It's been eating at me for ages," Hijiri grumbled. "Masai-san, what's that shot for again?" He eyed the needle in the brunette's hand warily. It wasn't that he was afraid of needles; rather, he'd never been a fan of being a human pincushion. If only he wasn't so ill, then he wouldn't need the various medicines and injections he did. The nurse hummed as she wiped at the old man's arm.

"This is going to get rid of that horrid cancer, Okimi-san!" she said cheerfully. "One shot and you'll be fine in just a couple of days."

Hijiri grunted. "And you're certain because…?"

"It's been tested already, with absolutely positive results! It's kind of a secret, though, so don't tell anyone!" Masai Kumiko did not feel the need to mention that the medication had yet to be approved. Why should she? If it worked on the little rats, why wouldn't it work on humans? Although the poor animals had died after having been cured…but humans were so much stronger than the tiny creatures.

"Well, all right then." Hijiro shrugged and with that, Kumiko injected the drug into the old man's arm. _And now to get to the rest of the patients,_ the brunette thought happily. They would be perfect and healthy in no time, she would make sure of it.

–

*Kazue Taji sighed as she finished reading through the night shift's paperwork. Several of the hospital's cancer patients had complained of an extra (and mostly unwanted) injection that had been given to them by a particularly cheerful and young nurse.

"Biwako-san's going to be angry… Oh well, time to check on the poor people Kumiko messed with," Taji murmured as she began making her way to the cancer wing of the hospital. Neither she, Kumiko, or Biwako would be coming back to the office that day.

–

_and so it began._

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**A/N(2): **Taji and Biwako were the medics that helped Kushina deliver Naruto; Taji didn't have a last name (according to Narutopedia) so I gave her a random one. Kumiko and Hijiri are people I made up. xD

Rating will remain K+ for now, it will probably go up in later chapters.  
Also~ I do not own Naruto. 'til next time!


	2. one

**A/N: **A thank you and a pastry of their choice to the lovely **aisha89** for being my first review! I truly appreciate it. ; u;

Pantsward! (kudos to whoever understands the reference. . . not very likely.)

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**_one_**

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Hinata began to worry when the rumbling seemed to draw closer to the building. For the past twenty minutes, alarms had wailed continuously in the distance. At first she thought she'd thought she was imagining it–the many hours she'd spent with her mother at the hospital had heightened her hearing sensitivity and because of it, she sometimes ended up hearing things that weren't really there.

But something about the police and ambulance sirens were giving off an almost desperate vibe–perhaps because they'd been ringing persistently for over an hour. That, coupled with the aforementioned rumbling, caused a nagging, uneasy feeling to settle over the Hyuuga girl. Her pale eyes gazed out the window eagerly, hoping to see anything that could explain the unpleasant noises.

"What could possibly be more interesting than my class, Hyuuga?" Morino Ibiki's voice had Hinata's head snapping away from the window.

She winced as she stared down at her desk. "N-nothing, Morino-sensei," she murmured. A few snickers could be heard around her and Hinata flushed, embarrassed. She sank into her chair a little, shoulders hunched forwards.

"I certainly hope so, since we still have another forty minutes of class left." With that, Ibiki dropped a textbook on his desk. The students closest to him jumped as the book hit the table loudly.

"Now then, can someone tell me what Freud's view on personality was?"

–

Uchiha Yashiro held a hand up to silence the group of policemen with him. Good, they were paying attention. A low buzzing came from his radio though he ignored it, choosing to survey the front of the hospital instead. There weren't too many windows; that could either be a good thing or a bad thing.

Yashiro frowned. If hysteria were to strike the people inside (and it was very likely), they would undoubtedly try to escape however they could. Panicked and confused, afraid… Those kinds of emotions did not make for clear, rational thinking. If Yashiro had to guess, he would say they'd probably pile up on the little balcony rows on the second floor.

He ran a hand through his hair. The large, spacious entrance was useless. That would be where people died first: the ones who rushed to escape only to fall, being trampled to death by the panicked people behind them. He could only hope that it wouldn't come to that, but from what he'd been informed of, the odds were stacked against him.

"Damn," he sighed. His radio buzzed again and this time he answered it, keeping his eyes on the second floor. "Get me some ladder trucks and rescue trucks down here." The balconies were just too small, too narrow. How the people would pile up, arms and legs flailing in desperation… "And some ambulances," he added, finally looking away from the building.

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**A/N(2):** I apologise in advance if the story seems to be slow-paced; it will (hopefully) pick up within the next few chapters.  
Also, since the chapters for this story are short and drabble-like, it's safe to say that **modus** will be updated every week, with a _possible_ two updates if I get extra free time.

So, until next time! ^^


	3. two

**A/N:** I'd like to give another pastry to** aisha**! And also one to **edith87**, for joining us on this little bandwagon of goodies~  
Thanks guys! ; u;

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_**two**_

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The soft, chattering murmur grew louder as the class drew closer to an end. Yamanaka Ino blew a stray piece of hair away from her face, pale blue eyes roaming over her classmates. She was bored; Sakura had psychology in the afternoon while she and Hinata had it in the morning, along with Sasuke, Shino, and Chouji. Unfortunately, Hinata sat on the opposite side of the room from her, over by the windows along with the Akimichi and the Uchiha, which meant she didn't really have anyone to talk to. She and Hinata had two more classes together but this was the only that she shared with a certain Uchiha. Speaking of Sasuke, he was looking particularly handsome today. She swooned internally as she stole a glance at the dark-haired boy. He was staring out the window, chin resting on his palm. He was probably bored too, since Naruto wasn't in their class either. Ino wrinkled her nose. Why he and the Uzumaki were friends–best friends actually–was beyond her. He was a nice kid, but he was too loud for her.

"Settle down, brats, you have fifteen minutes left. No need to get antsy," Ibiki called out, lips set in a scowl.

Ino watched as a girl in the front started giggling. No doubt Ibiki was going to yell at her and she sighed as she rolled her eyes. She could already feel a headache coming on. But before anyone could say anything, a loud blast rang through the room, the windows shattering instantly.

It was quiet again for a few more seconds before the screaming started.

–

Hinata stared in shock as the boy in front of her slumped to the side. A few girls closer to the front were crying, holding their arms as little pieces of glass fell from their flesh.

"Hinata!" She vaguely heard Ino shout her name. Others were doing the same around her, calling out for their friends and for Ibiki.

"Those of you by the windows, get to the other side of the room! Come on, stay calm, move!" Ibiki barked out as Hinata's classmates moved around in a panic.

The Hyuuga bit her lip and stood up. The student in front of her–Daichi, she remembered–had yet to move and she felt worry gnaw at her. Morino-sensei had specifically said to get away from the windows, but how could he if he was passed out? It didn't look like he was going to move any time soon; Hinata couldn't just leave him there. She was reaching out to tap his shoulder when a second blast went off, knocking her off her feet.

There was a ringing sound in her ears, making it hard for her to hear anything, though she could tell Ibiki was calling out again, ushering students out of the classroom. She turned back to the windows, curiosity burning through her dazed mind. Hinata watched, almost in slow motion, as a dark shape appeared at the sill, disjointedly crawling into the room and down the wall.

Someone touched her shoulder lightly and she jumped, glancing up. A pale, dark-haired boy stood over her, an impatient expression on his face. _Oh, it's Sasuke-san._ It took her a moment to realize he was saying something to her.

"W-what?" she asked. Sasuke glared at her.

"We need to get away from the windows, Hyuuga. Ibiki-sensei is waiting by the door." He jerked his head over to where their teacher stood. Most of the students had already cleared out; they were the last ones still in the room. He helped her up and began steering her away when Hinata paused, remembering her classmate.

"What about–" she began, but she stopped as the dark shape from before began crawling towards the unconscious boy. It sniffed at him before opening its mouth and latching on to the boy's arm greedily.

Sasuke and Hinata stared, not understanding what they were seeing. Soft whimpers could be heard as the brown-haired boy struggled weakly. There was blood on the floor, too much of it. The thing that sat by him was nipping at his flesh persistently, its tongue lapping feverishly at the blood as if it were trying to prevent the precious liquid from going to waste. And then comprehension dawned quickly, to both of their growing horror: the creature was _eating_ Daichi, Daichi who was in pain and more importantly, still alive.

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**A/N(2):** Poor little character. . . Just another one made for this story, although I was kind of thinking of Daichi from DS2 while I was writing.

I apologise for the lack of a chapter last week; I completely forgot it was the week of the 4th of July. ; w;  
I tried to make this chapter a little longer than the previous ones to make up for it but I'm not sure I succeeded. I'll try to have another one up later today or possibly tomorrow! /crossesfingers

Also, I hope the POV switches aren't too annoying or confusing. If they are, let me know and I'll either write them one at a time or separate them more cleanly instead of using a little dash.

Has anyone figured out where this is going, by the way? c;


	4. three

**A/N:** Pastry for **chibi beary**! (Response to your review is at the end of the chapter~)  
Annnd onwards.

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_**three**_

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It was chaos. Yashiro knew what to expect when they were given the okay to go into the hospital. Crying, hysteric people, all trying to escape from whatever madness was going on inside.

Yes, those people had all clearly met his expectations. There were crowds of nurses, doctors, and patients, all screaming to be let out as they pushed against the officers who were trying to provide calm and order.

But what he was _not_ expecting was to see some of those people…_feeding_ on the others. Throughout the very brief moments of silence, Yashiro could hear cries of pain and the sickening sounds of flesh being torn into. The Uchiha had seen many things throughout his career, but this was something else entirely.

He realized with growing dread that the situation he and his fellow policemen had been called out to deal with was something that had spiraled hopelessly and horribly out of control. Because as he watched the unbelievable scene unfolding before him, all he could think of was how hell had finally broken loose.

–

Haruno Sakura was a popular, attractive girl. She wasn't nearly as outgoing as Ino, but she was known and well liked among her peers. With pastel pink hair and vivid green eyes, standing out was easy for her. It had been a bad thing when she was younger, but now it meant that people would notice her (Uchiha Sasuke, she hoped).

Sakura was smart. People knew she was a well-behaved student who studied hard, but that was it, and Sakura was okay with that. It wasn't something she mentioned to anyone, but she consistently earned top scores in all of her classes, despite the fact that her appearance led most to think she was some kind of useless, ditzy girl.

That was far from the truth. Sakura paid attention, always picking up on little details that most people skipped over. She was constantly aware of herself and her surroundings, and that single habit was something that had helped her out many times before.

Sakura had Physical Education first thing in the morning with a few of her friends, Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto. She wished it were Ino and Sasuke instead, but they had Psychology, along with Hinata and a few more of her friends. P.E meant being outside in the fresh, cool air instead of being stuck inside an old, smelly gymnasium. Because they'd been outside, Sakura had noticed the odd rumbling that had been hovering around the area. She'd also noticed that there were ambulance and police sirens wailing over in the area of the hospital.

A police car, followed by a SWAT team, had parked a little ways away from the school. Sakura watched as uniformed men yelled at what appeared to be escaped hospital patients. The patients ignored the officers, moving awkwardly but determinedly towards the building.

To Sakura's shock, the officers shot at the patients. They faltered once but kept moving. More gunshots. They definitely shouldn't have been moving after that, but still they continued towards the school. Sakura felt a shiver of unease run through her.

The police were trying to stop the hospital patients from getting closer to the school, for reasons unknown to her.

Her teacher, Umino Iruka, asked for the class to stop for a moment as the sounds of the gunshots echoed around them. _Maybe Iruka-sensei knows what's going on,_ Sakura thought as her classmates cheered. With a start, she realized that the officers and the patients were moving towards the windows she knew belonged to the classroom Ino and Hinata were in.

"What are you staring at, Sakura-chan?" The question came from Uzumaki Naruto, who had jogged over to his pink-haired friend.

"Naruto," Sakura acknowledged, glancing at him once before turning her attention back to the police officers.

"Hey, do you guys know what's going on?" Kiba had a frown on his face as he jerked a thumb over to the troubling scene. "That doesn't look too good."

A series of shouts and commands suddenly filled the air and the three watched in stunned silence as the first stun grenade went off.

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**A/N(2): **In response to your review: Kumiko's not nuts. . . maybe. ;D As to how she managed to get that medication; that is a very good question! I can't really give it away here, but I might make a series of related one-shots for this story, to give more of a backstory on minor characters. Thanks for reviewing! ^^**  
**

On another note, any updating schedule for modus has been shot to hell. ^^; /runsaway  
'til next time!


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